Right Here
by x-Star-in-Heaven-x
Summary: After Taylor and Chad get a little closer than just friends, I decided to move in with Troy. The beginning of my crazy life with Troy. Gabriella's POV
1. End of an Era

**Okay, okay. **

**1. You guys hate my guts for deleting story after story. But what gets me is the reviews and how much I see people like them.**

**2. I know I promised not to delete the story last time but I realized that not many people liked it so I didn't want to waste my time on something you guys didn't like so much.**

**I'm not gonna promise if I'm gonna delete this or not because most of the time, I break promises.**

**But anyway, new story called ****Right Here. **

* * *

When I put my key into the door that night, I expected to see Taylor dozing off on the couch with a silent horror movie playing on the TV screen, and a hot steaming cup of coffee in the kitchen that had been just brewed. What I _didn't_ expect to see was Chad.

"OH MY GOD!" I screamed I saw my roommate and her boyfriend going at it on our couch. "Chad! STOP!"

There was a loud "oof!" and Chad looked like he was kicked off of Taylor. My roommate sat up with a sheepish grin on her face, reaching for the pillows to cover up. "Oh don't worry Taylor, I already saw most of you." I said, closing my eyes. I was trying to erase the images out of my mind but for some sick, perverted reason, it was still in there.

"I'm so sorry Gabriella-" Taylor started breathlessly. As I reluctantly opened my eyes, Chad was quickly throwing on some pants.

"Uh…Chad, those are Taylor's." I bit my lip from laughing. Chad (now bright red) grabbed his jeans and made a mad dash to the bathroom.

I put my hands on my hips and glared at Taylor. "I never knew you liked Chad so much. This is your first time?"

Taylor looked down. "Yeah. I'm kinda glad I lost it to him though…he's really sweet to me."

I rolled my eyes and gave her a smile. "This is so exciting. You've beaten me in everything from being a valedictorian, dating six months before me, and now losing your virginity!"

She stared at me for a minute, not knowing whether to laugh or pound the crap out of me. "Gabriella, I didn't tell you because I thought you'd tell everyone about how me and Chad were going out and that wouldn't have made it so special." She worded her situation in an awkward way.

I was taken back. "So…basically, you didn't trust me? Whatever happened to "best-buddies-forever" Taylor McKessie?"

"C'mon Gabriella. Everyone thinks you're sensitive, really smart, and beautiful. I just thought you might be a little immature around dating and all…" Taylor blurted out.

I stood up, livid, and shouted, "_Immature_? Oh ho, who was the one that giggled everytime someone said the word, 'weinus' in junior year? Who was the one that always told everyone when someone would fart or burp? Gee, thanks a lot Taylor. I guess our five years of friendship really were so _immature_ to you!"

I stomped to my room and slammed the door in her shocked face. I was furious but I couldn't help but feel a little tinge of guilt in losing a friend.

* * *

Over the next few days, Taylor and I hardly made any contact. We never spoke, looked at, or even heard each other. Truthfully, it was pure torture since I'd became a social butterfly ever since I started dating in high school. The only time we made contact was when Chad came over and I yelled at them walking into her room, "Have real _mature_ sex!"

She was driving me nuts too. I was really picky when it comes to household stuff so when the milk carton was empty, usually Taylor would have enough sense to throw it out but instead, she stuck it back into the fridge. The dishes would seem to be used every second of the day and would be waiting for me to hand wash until midnight. I, Gabriella Montez, wouldn't have stood up for this much longer but since I was also the "charming and sweet" brainiac, I clenched my teeth together hard and tried to keep my life running as normal as it could be.

Then one day the truth came down hard on us. We _hated_ each other and none of us wanted to leave our apartment. Generally, I was the one that had to go because I was a Montez and us Montezes usually gave in. One time, I came home from work early and saw Chad in my room with Taylor painting the walls from a light tan to a dark blue. Taylor stuck her tongue out at me as Chad shrugged. "This is for the guest room." My jaw dropped. How _dare_ they! I was going to move out as soon as possible.

* * *

I took up the local newspapers and dialed around for another apartment. After weeks of apartment searching, there was this perfect little loft in upper Santa Fe downtown. Thing was, I knew a lot of people would've already put their name down for the loft. When I phoned in, the seller told me about twenty-five people were ahead of me.

Another week went by and I received a call from the seller saying that the previous twenty-five were either irresponsible for the payment or just really careless. I prepared my best and dressed up in a neat little black skirt and a peach top.

"Ah…Gabriella Montez?" A woman answered the door. When I stepped into the empty apartment, I couldn't help but gasp. The loft was absolutely _amazing_. When you just walk in, there was a kitchen and then to its right was an open dining room. The living room was just humongous for a one-person loft and there was a little balcony by the giant stained glass windows.

"I'm glad you like it." The woman said after a few moments of my silence. I blushed and shook her hand.

"I'm Nikki Reynolds. I believe you know this loft is about $1,500. So many have come to me getting their hopes up and then getting blown away by the expensive price. I mean well it's pretty expensive for a loft but-" Nikki continued on but I mentally plugged my ears.

"I am in love." I finally said after Nikki's long speech. She smiled wide and I went upstairs to check out the bedrooms until Nikki's phone rang.

"Hello, this is Nikki Reynolds…yes…in fact I'm with a customer right now. No? Oh…well if my customer doesn't mind…" Nikki mouthed to me "another buyer" and I nodded, "…she said it's fine. Okay, see you then."

Nikki closed up her cellphone and clapped her hands together. "I've got another urgent buyer coming on his over here…do you wanna check out the spacious bathrooms?"

I laughed at how much she reminded me of Taylor, jumping from subject to subject. I immediately frowned. Thinking of Taylor had darkened July for me this year.

The doorbell rang downstairs and Nikki was busily trying to adjust the sink handles for me. She motioned for me to answer the door and I gladly ran down the spiraling staircase and answered the door.

A cute brown-haired boy gave me a dashing smile. My knees almost melted as his blue eyes sparkled.

"Hi, I'm looking for the one selling this house…is it you?" He pointed at me jokingly.

I laughed nervously. Why was I feeling this way around this total…cute and handsome stranger? "No…she's upstairs fixing something. Come on up."

He dug his hands into his jacket pockets and followed me upstairs. "So…you're looking for place to stay?"

"Yeah, my roommate is creeping me out by bringing over her boyfriend almost everyday to 'study' their anatomies," I raised my hands and made quotation marks with my fingers. The boy laughed. "And so I'm looking for a place to get out of there."

He stuck out his hand. "Troy Bolton."

All of a sudden, something clicked in my mind. "Troy?" I repeated, incredulous.

"Yeah…Bolton. T-R-O-Y?" He laughed softly. "You do look kinda familiar…"

Then at the same time we either said, "Gabriella Montez?" or "Troy Bolton?"

There was an awkward silence until he spoke up. "God…I thought you went to Massachusetts to go to Harvard!"

I shook my head. "And I thought you moved to California to take up that basketball scholarship!"

He also shook his head. "I stayed back because…" Troy blushed red.

I nudged him playfully. "Go on."

Troy shook his head. "No thanks. I'll pass."

As I was trying to get him to tell me why he stayed in New Mexico, Nikki came in between us and gave us a grin. "Fighting already? I hope it's not over this loft!"  
Troy and I laughed. "No…it's just we kinda knew each other before." I said.

Nikki looked amused. "Isn't that a coincidence? Now, I willing to give you both this loft but I gotta make some money so I'll give the keys to whoever gives me the higher price."

I dug into my purse for the $1,500 and was about to hand it to Nikki until Troy pushed my hand away.

"$1,750." He winked at Nikki. She blushed and looked down.

"$1,800." I shot back. It was pretty expensive already but the image of Chaylor (my nickname for the _sick_ couple) thumping on the walls was all I needed to keep bidding.

Troy whistled anxiously. "Whoa ho ho Gabi, slow down! $2,000, Nikki. Final offer."

Nikki was beyond belief. "That's $500 more than my original price!" She got ready to hand over the keys.

"No wait!" I quickly spoke up. "I gotta have a place to stay and this is it! We'll split Troy, you pay half and I'll pay half."

"Then that means…" Troy slowly said.

"That we'll be roomies. Please, I beg you!" I even got down on one knee.

Nikki had a hard time putting on a straight face. "Very desperate aren't we Miss Montez?"

I nodded violently. "My roommate is the sickest _bitch_ I've ever met."

Troy laughed. "Okay, deal."

* * *

I squealed happily as Nikki gave us the keys and we gave her $1,000 each. As soon as Nikki left, Troy and I started planning on how to organize the loft. I waved goodbye to him after three hours and practically skipped home until I remember that I had a roommate probably having sex in the room next to mine. I groaned as I heard a moan from the inside of the apartment.

"SHUT UP YOU TWO!" I snapped as I threw a pillow into their room. Surprisingly, silence followed and I was sort of amused. "And another thing, I'm moving out tomorrow. Goes to show how mature I can be huh Taylor?"

I made myself a cup of coffee as Taylor and Chad stumbled out (thankfully wearing proper clothes) of the room. "You're moving out?" Taylor asked bluntly. That was probably the first time she spoke to me directly in weeks.

"Yes I am genius. I'm packing tonight and making a move over to my new loft downtown." I busied myself stirring sugar in my coffee.

There was an awkward silence and then Chad piped up, "I'm moving in tomorrow."

I nodded. "I already know that."

Taylor bit her lip. "I guess this is it then."

But thing was, it was already over.

* * *

**Please review! Probably my longest chapter ever written for any of my stories! 3 x-Star-in-Heaven-x**


	2. Walk the Talk

**Here's the second chapter! Thanks to all of you for reviewing!**

* * *

Troy is the sweetest roommate I've ever had.

He is clean and tidy unlike _some_ of my past roommates (Taylor…). Troy always asked me if I wanted something when he got up to run an errand. Plus, he throws away the milk carton after it's empty (again….Taylor…). Of course he hangs his basketball posters **EVERYWHERE** and sometimes forgets to lock the door when he's out or in…

* * *

"Gabi, is there anymore laundry detergent?" Troy came in to my room, his laundry basket full of clothes. I looked up from my book.

"Uh…did you check the storage closet? I think we've got some Tide in there." I asked.

He shook his head. "I'll just go get some. Hey, what are you reading?"

I tried to hide my book but Troy's superb basketball skills snatched my book away from me.

"'Walk the Talk: Tips for Flirting'", Troy read, amused. I closed my eyes and cursed myself. This was absolutely embarrassing.

As Troy began to read the first tip, I jumped up and took my book back. "I think you have some laundry to do Mr. Bolton."

Troy smirked. "I think you have some more reading to do Miss Montez." He quickly closed the door when I aimed to throw the book at him.

After thirty minutes, Troy knocked on my door. "Come in," I said as I made sure to stash away my book.

"Hey, I went down to the mailbox and got our mail…there's a high school reunion at East High next week on Friday night! 'Dress formally and bring a date because there will be a dance floor!'." Troy read out loud.

"Seriously?" I got up as he showed me the letter.

"'Bring a date'…" Troy said slowly.

I frowned. "I don't have anyone to bring."

"Me neither." Troy looked at me and smiled. "But I'll bring you."

My jaw dropped and I started stuttering. "B-but, Troy…we're not go-going out!"

"Yeah I know but if you don't wanna go with me…as friends, that's fine too…" Troy's face turned crimson.

I shook my head quickly before he changed his mind. "I'd love to go with you…as friends." I wanted to kill myself for adding the last part. Whoa, what was I thinking?

He gave me a big smile and slowly closed the door to my room and left me there to ponder. I was acting as if I had a huge crush on Troy and I was trying to hide it. It was like high school all over again. But I don't "like-like" Troy! I just…like him. He's sweet, funny, sensitive, and he has these firm but tender hands (don't ask me how I know)…

* * *

Usually, when a guy "asks me out", I always tell Taylor right after, even if the boy tells me not to tell anyone. But I was angry with Taylor but I felt like she had a right to know.

As if in a dream, I walked over to the phone and dialed Taylor's number (I took her number off of speed-dial two weeks ago).

The phone kept ringing and ringing and I almost sighed of relief. Only on the fifth ring did Taylor pick up the phone.

"Hey, it's Taylor?" she said, as I was just about to hang up. Crap.

"Hi, it's Gabi." I said with my sweetest, fake voice.

"Oh hi Gabi. Are you okay?" Taylor asked falsely. I almost wanted to slap her over the phone.

"What, am I not allowed to call when I wanna talk? So, you mean…I gotta be sick or hurt in order to talk to you normally?" I blurted out. Well it was brutal, but it was the truth.

"No! I was just…oh never mind." Taylor said exasperatedly. I could hear her make a move to hang up.

"Wait Taylor, Troy just kinda asked me out!" I quickly announced.

"WHAT!" she screeched. As I told her what happened, I realized that those few minutes of us squealing and gossiping was precious. I truly missed talking to her so in a rush of forgiveness, I told her just that.

There was silence on the end of the phone. "I missed you too Gabi." Taylor said quietly. All of a sudden, I burst out crying. And then both of us started to bawl. Troy rushed in quickly, to see what was wrong.

I laughed when I saw his bewildered face but that must've made me look like a maniac to be crying and laughing at the same time.

"Oh Taylor, Troy's giving me this weird look, I gotta go." I hung up and stared at Troy.

"Geez…" Troy stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked away. I giggled and wiped away my tears.

* * *

Troy and I took a walk outside after dinner and ended up being at Blockbuster.

"I should never trust you to lead me into that shortcut, _ever_ again." Troy said, grumbling. He had meant for a perfect walk "under the stars" but I ignored him and scanned for titles under "Horror".

After a few minutes of playful arguing, we checked out "The Ring" and "The Grudge". We'd both already seen it, but not together. When we got home, I made some popcorn while Troy fixed up the DVD player. After a few burnt packages of popcorn, a couple of cuts from the DVD player, and a **TON** of cussing, we got the player going.

When we got to the scary parts, I cursed under my breath. "What?" Troy whispered.

Embarassed, I replied, "It's just that I've watched these movies so many times but they still freak me out."

Troy gave me a smile and patted the seat next to him. Reluctantly, I got up but when I saw Naomi Watts scream bloody murder at one part, I dashed to Troy and ended up spilling all the popcorn.

Laughing, Troy and I cleaned up the popcorn and somehow we snuggled up against each other with no awkwardness. We somehow fit, like a puzzle. After we watched both movies it was a quarter past one.

"Oh." Troy said after we turned off the TV. We finally realized that we were so close to each other, my head on his chest and his hand stroking my hair. Blushing, I got off and smiled weakly.

"Sorry…" I began, but nonetheless, we were drawn to each other, and our lips touched briefly.

There was a loud **BANG! **from the foyer and we pulled apart instantly. Someone had broken in.

* * *

**Muahaha second chapter done! Please review! x-Star-in-Heaven-x**


	3. High School Reunion

**I'm back from two months. Let's just say a really big and stupid writer's block came my way...**

**

* * *

**

"Go get the baseball bat from underneath my bed!" Troy whispered urgently.

"You played baseball too?" I whispered back, incredulously.

Troy sighed and motioned for me to go get it. I handed him the bat and Troy crouched low, holding the bat high. "I'll go get my pepper spray." I told him.

Troy turned around. "Why do you have pepper spray?"

"To ward off criminals and pesky jerks like you." I said with a smirk as I left to get the spray. Troy smiled and I snapped my fingers and pointed at the robbers.

"Troy, didn't you lock the door when we came in?" I pinched him when he opened his mouth in horror.

"I guess they're not home…" One guy said quietly. He quickly entered Troy's room.

Troy stood up and swung his bat on the other robber. "AHHHH!" the person screamed.

"TAYLOR?" I demanded. Furiously, I pulled her up and she brushed herself off.

"What the hell are you guys doing so late in _our_ apartment?" Troy stood up, angry.

"Hey Taylor…WHOA!" Chad came from Troy's room whispering. Once he saw us, he quickly stuffed what was in his hands into his pocket.

"Gimme that!" I reached over and tried to pull it out. After I saw it, I closed my eyes and handed it to Troy. Taylor was silently laughing.

"Troy, why on Earth do you have that in room?" I stupidly asked. Troy looked at it and blushed.

"Just in case." He answered quietly. Taylor was rolling around, in tears. Chad was as embarrassed as Troy but at least he had a reason to search in Troy's apartment for a _spare condom_.

"You guys should've called us! I mean, we were in the middle of something!" I exclaimed angrily.

Taylor raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? And what _were_ you in the middle of?"

I closed my mouth instantly. Troy turned even redder than he was before. "Nothing," he mumbled, glaring at me.

"Okay, we'll take this and go," Chad tried to keep a straight face one as he took the condom from Troy's sweating hands and left with a laughing Taylor.

"So what _were_ we in the middle of Miss Montez?" Troy asked, leaning in. I was still disgusted over the condom. Okay, I sound naive, but did he _expect_ to have sex with me? I ducked under him and waved him goodnight. Troy stood there, waving back, but he seemed a little hurt.

Over the next few days, life with Troy was completely awkward. We avoided anymore movie nights and encounters alone. I hated the new way we had to live but that was the only way to tell Troy that I did _not_ want to have sex with him.

* * *

I yawned as I completed my report for my boss. "What day is it Troy?" 

Troy gave me a flicker of a smile. "Friday."

"Okay." I filled the date on my report and slowly looked up at a grinning Troy. "What?" I demanded.

"It's Friday night and it's 3 o'clock. You might want to go upstairs-" But before Troy finished his sentence, I'd already ran to my room and slammed the door.

"Dammit! I don't have anything to wear!" I cried out as I practically turned my wardrobe upside down searching for clothes.

I threw out halter tops, community service t-shirts, jackets, ripped or frayed jeans, and whatever looked _wrong_ for a formal high school reunion. At top speed, I ran out of my room and gathered my keys for my car, not even bothering to wave goodbye to Troy, who was smirking at the whole situation.

I probably ran ten red lights and drove in the wrong lanes but I got to the mall so fast that I could barely remember if I was driving or not. I walked past the stores that I usually shopped at; Abercrombie, American Eagle, and more. I hardly shopped at Nordstrom but today was the perfect day to since I had less than four hours to prepare for a formal dance. I power-walked my way to customer service as a young teenage girl spun around.

"How may I-" she began but I quickly laid out my problem with her and she squealed.

"Oh my God, let's go!" She took my hand and led me to the dress section of the store.

After what seemed like five hours, the clerk and I finally picked out a rouge jersey halter gown. I quickly rushed back home and threw on the dress as it was getting nearer to 5:30. After two hours of makeup frenzy, I had my hair done in a perfect twist as I saw Troy get up slowly and walk to his room to put on his tux.

At seven, I heard Troy whistling in the living room casually as I continued to stare at the mirror, wondering if my dress was too slutty.

"It's not too revealing…kinda low here…" I muttered to myself as I shrugged the whole thing off and called, "Troy! I'm ready."

I walked out, stiff but poised on 4 inched heels as Troy dropped his jaw in shock. "Well don't you look-"

"Fatigued. I hate how guys only spend half an hour on getting dressed while us ladies spend the whole day." I bluntly said as Troy laughed.

"No, I was gonna say you looked beautiful." Troy grinned as I blushed.

"You look pretty handsome yourself, Mr. Bolton." I smiled. We continued to look at each other for a few more seconds until Troy cleared his throat and helped me wobble to the elevator.

* * *

When we drove up to the entrance of East High, I gasped at the magnificent sight of the school. It was as new as ever except there were a lot of lights and banners that read, "EAST HIGH GRADUATES of 2008: WELCOME BACK!" 

When Troy and I walked into the school, we met a bunch of familiar faces like Kelsi Nielsen and her fiancé Jason Cross, Sharpay and Ryan Evans, and even Mrs. Darbus. I finally saw Taylor sitting at a table, all alone.

"Hey guys!" Troy smiled enthusiastically at all of his basketball friends.

"So we heard, man. Livin' with Gabi." One of them said.

"Totally hot move. And hot girl." Another one added as Troy laughed.

"Yeah, we're sharing rent so we're roomies." He said casually.

I turned my back on them, blushing like mad, as I walked up to Taylor and Chad.

"Hey," I began as Taylor giggled, which made me remember about _that night_.

"Shut up Taylor. Where's Chad?" I asked as Taylor pointed to the crowd around Troy. She laughed as she saw me blush again.

"Don't worry. Guys will be guys. I'm so excited about that 'dance floor' in the invitation!" Taylor gushed as I rolled my eyes. After the jocks finished interrogating Troy, he and Chad joined the table where Taylor and I were sitting.

After dinner, Sharpay finally took control. "All right everybody, let's hit the dance floor!" She yelled into her microphone as everyone cheered and spilled into the dance floor.

Chad rolled his eyes. "Bossy Sharpay-"

"-never goes away." We all finished and started to laugh. As Chad and Taylor made their way to the dance floor, Troy and I sat there awkwardly, waiting for the other one to speak.

Thoughts began to erupt from my mind. I doubt that Troy would ask me to dance because of _that night_. We were just friends after all…right?

As I sat there, drowning in my pool of sweat, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. Troy smiled and asked, "May I have this dance?"

It was as if it came from a fairytale, the way his eyes carried me to the floor as Sharpay DJ-ed "My Boo". He wrapped his arms around my waist as I put my arms around his neck. We swayed back and forth, never letting go of each other.

When the song ended, it was like something had burst between us and we let go of each other automatically. Blushing, I thanked Troy for the dance and prayed silently that he would not feel the same way I felt about him…his strong, smooth arms…crystal clear eyes…

After a few hours, we said goodbye to everyone and Troy drove our way home. I felt different sitting in the front next to Troy. I spent the next half hour thinking about the new way I felt about him.

Once we got home, I made my way to my room as he pulled me towards him and we hugged for a brief minute.

"Thanks for tonight Gabi." Troy gave me a kiss on the lips and walked up to his room as I stood there, dazed with a stupid smile on my face.

Could you say I was feeling…love? I didn't think so. But it was a start.

* * *

**How's that coming back from two months? Review! x-Star-in-Heaven-x**


	4. Oh My God!

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! Looking forward to another year of awesome fanfic aren't you?**

* * *

"Hey sleepyhead. It's almost noon." Troy smiled at me as he looked up from his computer. 

I yawned. "You know, I'm still going back to sleep. I'm just getting myself a glass of water."

Troy laughed as he got up and poured himself another cup of coffee. "Hey, um…I kinda invited Taylor and Chad over for a dinner party."

I immediately spat out my water. "But Troy-"

"Look, I'll take care of things. I just thought we should do something nice together as friends. Besides, Taylor says she's got a big announcement to make so I thought she could share it over dinner." Troy hastily said.

I groaned. "God, and I really did wanna sleep! Now I'll never have the chance with her coming over!"

* * *

"Gabi, pay attention to the soup!" Troy quickly snatched the wooden spoon out of my hands and hurried stirred. The disgusting, burnt smell of food filled the air as Troy and I coughed heavily. 

"Sorry. Can't cook." I grinned sheepishly as Troy rolled his eyes.

"That's obvious." He muttered. I dropped my jaw and pinched his butt as he yelped and turned red.

"Gabi!"

"Sorry again." I smiled mischievously as I looked myself in the mirror. I had tomato sauce all over my jeans and egg yolk in my hair (from a playful food fight earlier that day).

"Hey, I'm gonna take a bath!" I yelled into the kitchen as Troy nodded.

As I was about to step into the bathtub, the door suddenly burst open.

"Hey, I forgot to tell you but-" Troy abruptly stopped and stared at me. Luckily, I had the towel wrapped around me tightly but nevertheless, we probably stood there staring at each other for a long time until I noticed a bulge growing in his jeans.

"TROY!" I shrieked as he automatically ran out and slammed the door.

"Oh my God…" he said on the other side of the door.

There was like ten minutes of silence until I said, "Troy?"

"Yeah?" He said weakly.

"Next time you wanna get turned on, go read those magazines under your bed."

* * *

After I dried off, I slowly walked down the stairs in my dress that I was wearing that night. Troy was waiting by the door and as soon as he saw me, he quickly picked up the newspaper from the table and pretended to be immersed in it. 

"They're coming in a few minutes." Troy said slowly, as if he was trying to make sure that he wouldn't say anything stupid by talking as slow as a boy learning how to read.

I nodded. We both leaned against the opposite walls of our foyer. After a few minutes, I looked over as his eyes caught mine. We continued to stare at each other until the doorbell rang.

"Let's get this over with." He muttered under his breath as I opened the door, grinning at his comment.

"Gabi! Oh, it smells so nice in here!" Taylor complimented as Troy snorted since the smell was my burnt clam chowder. I smirked as I welcomed the two of them into our apartment.

"Look, you did something new to the place, it looks so nice compared to the last time we were here." Taylor continued as I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, 'cause the last time, you were here in the _dark_." I stated, matter-of-fact, as Taylor blushed.

As we got settled around our dinner table, Troy served the clam chowder. Chad took a bite and looked as though his insides were on fire. "Delicious Gabi, simply marvelous chowder!"

I smiled as I thanked him for the compliment. Troy fought hard to keep a straight face on as Taylor and Chad's expressions softened when Troy served _his_ cooking.

"Yum! That's all I can say guys, love the way you two cook." Taylor truthfully commented as Troy beamed.

Trying to act professionally, Chad picked up his spoon and tapped it softly against his wine glass. "Taylor and I have an announcement to make-"

But Taylor couldn't hold it in any longer.

"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" she screeched as I gasped.

"No way!" I squealed as Taylor put her hand on the table and showed off her ring.

"How? When? Why?" I hysterically asked as Chad laughed.

"Well Troy helped me plan how to propose to her-"

Wait. Stop. Troy _already_ knew? That…that…oh my God, I can't even insult Troy anymore…

"-and so now we're engaged!" Taylor and Chad said in unison. (**A/N: Thank you Lil Spazzy Q for catching my mistake!**)

"That's so lovely!" I faked. As we finished up, I immediately volunteered Taylor and I to clear the dishes as the boys shrugged and sat down in the living room to catch up on some basketball action on ESPN.

"Taylor, you gotta help me. I think I'm falling in love with Troy again." I said as we were wiping the table.

"What? How do you know? Don't you remember the first time you fell in love with him?" Taylor put her hands on her hips and stared at me, concerned.

"Yes, but today in the shower…" I lowered my voice and told her all about the incident.

"Oh my God!" Taylor squealed as she burst out into giggles. "That's so cute!"

"Cute?" I raised my eyebrow as she shrugged.

"I just think he stared at me 'cause I had something on my head or whatever-" I said.

"And that turned him on? C'mon girl, put the pieces together. I really think this time, you two were meant to be." Taylor kissed my cheek and joined the boys in the living room.

I stared after her. Maybe Taylor was right. Maybe this time…it was for real.

* * *

As the newly engaged Danforths (Oh my God, Taylor _Danforth_! It sounds so right!) left, Troy and I silently cleared up the living room. 

As I carried the plates into the kitchen, I looked inside the trash bin and saw a serving of clam chowder pathetically hidden under paper towels. _Taylor_.

"That _bitch_." I disgustedly spat.

"What?" Troy asked as he looked inside the trash bin. "Oh. Well it _did_ taste bad."

"Shut up." I smiled.

As I got ready for bed, Troy called me downstairs. "I want to talk."

I slowly followed him into his room. I looked around since it was considerably neat for a guy. Troy gestured for me to sit with him on the bed.

"I wanna talk about this afternoon." Troy said while turning red.

"Yeah?" I asked hesistantly.

"I'm really sorry for just opening the door like that. I invaded your privacy and stared and all…God this sounds awful as an apology." Troy groaned.

"It's okay. Seriously. But thank you for apologizing." I swiftly kissed his cheek and headed for the door.

"Hey Gabi?" Troy said as soon as I put my hand on the doorknob.

"Yeah?"

"How did you know about the magazines?" Troy asked with a small smile on his face.

"I was cleaning." I grinned as he rolled his eyes. When I slipped under the covers that night, I knew I had definitely and deeply, fallen in love with Troy Bolton again.

* * *

**Please review! And a Happy New Year once again!**


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